Instead of my normal Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post, let me tell you a story. It's a story that still gives me chills, but in the best kind of way. I don't think I've told you all this story before, but if I have, please forgive me. The recent terrorism in Paris reminded me. This is a story of the Oklahoma prairie, college, France, Islam, Africa and humanity, but first, a bit of background. I was born loving everything français. I'm fascinated by their beautiful language, the country, the sense of style, simply everything. I loved French heroes like Lafayette and read many biographies of Napoleon and Josephine. I don't love Napoleon, but I'm a huge fan of Josephine's resilience in the face of terror. Don't know what I mean? Read The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., by Sandra Gulland. In high school, I took French for...

The United States went off daylight saving time and back to standard time last weekend. That means the dark closes in more quickly in the evenings, and if you live in Oklahoma, you often wake up in darkness too. Not the best time for gardeners who crave the sun like an essential vitamin. So what's a sun-starved hort head to do? My back garden in early April. It's so fresh. Well, first get outside. We've had glorious weather. Run, walk or garden. Gardens take planning. Start on next year's now, but don't panic. I have some ideas from a garden club talk I gave yesterday to get you started. The Scheepers hybrid tulip mix is designed so tulips bloom in unison. Mine lasted weeks. 1. Buy bulbs if you haven't already. By the time foliage emerges in spring, you'll cheer each new leaf. Trust me. I know this. If you want the best and...

After last Saturday's garden tour, I find myself in a reflective mood. You had questions. I've got answers. I couldn't get to all of you on tour day so I'll address some things here. I also heard some people didn't get to visit. It was a great tour. I'm sorry you missed it. This post is for you too. Rosa 'Carefree Beauty' rose against the split rail fence that surrounds the back garden. I'm taking as many photos of my favorite rose as I can because I fear Rose Rosette may claim it soon. However, a quick aside. I'm listening to Jewel's new cd, Picking Up The Pieces. It's deeply personal and a companion to her newly-published autobiography, Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story, which I'm also reading. I'm a big fan of her music, but I find the autobiography hard going because her childhood was tough. There is...

Hello gang! I bet you thought I would be MIA for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Nope, I ran outside this morning to take a few photos of what's blooming at RDR. I restricted today's pics to the back garden and the back borders. I didn't go out to the potager, or to the beds out by the street, although they are blooming with abandon too. I recently wrote about those beds as I mused about an October state of mind, and there's a photo with Maddie, my dog, sulking in front of the pink muhly grass. Before we get started, here's an overall view of the back garden. Overall view of the back garden in October. I think it looks pretty good because we've worked all year keeping things tidy for the garden tour this Saturday. I hope those of you who can will come. I want to...